CARNIVAL -- Once again it's annual carnival time, starting as usual at 5.30pm on Friday with BBQ, bedstead and children's scooter, egg and spoon, bike etc races in the village centre. Then starting at 1 pm on Saturday with the street parade leading to the Castle Green to a professionally-run It's a Knockout competition with prize money and sponsorship raised going to local charities along with a fun one for the children, go-karts and various other side shows, refreshments etc. All this and it's free to get in! Finishing with the carnival dance with live music and disco at the village hall.

PARISH PLAN -- More than 90 people turned out at The Hopelands Village Hall to find out about Weobley's Parish Plan. Sponsored by Weobley Parish Council, a steering group of 12 parishioners from across all areas and interests within Weobley parish shared their vision of how a parish plan could benefit the village and surrounding area. The parish council is the main sponsor for the project, although funding is sought from the Countryside Agency. Chairman of the parish council, Mike Ware, stated the importance of looking forward and the need for the village to keep evolving with the times. Lisa Bedford, community planning worker with the Herefordshire Partnership, then provided her perspective on what parish plans can deliver in terms of community involvement to identify issues and opportunities within villages. Jo Newton, who has been appointed facilitator for the parish plan project, then took the audience through a detailed explanation of the benefits of the parish plan, how it would work and the process involved. Particular emphasis was given to the opportunity to involve the whole community in defining the future of their village, through recommendation of practical action plans at the end of the project. The 90 attendees were then invited to split into small groups to start the process by sharing their views on the issues and opportunities currently facing the village. As a result of this discussion, the steering group has identified five key topics to focus on in their research: traffic, planning, young people, sports and trade /amenities. The need for effective community policing underpins many of these topics. Volunteers are now sought to sit on these working groups to help move the project forward. The steering committee are keen to enrol as many members of the community as possible in this exciting project. If any Weobley parishioners are interested, they can contact Lynne Pugh, clerk to the parish council, on 01432 830737, or email weobleyvillageplan@tiscali.co.uk. Volunteer forms are available from the library, post office and newsagents.